joannqn Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We were looking for a model for our son and couldn't find anything locally. We ended up having to go to Amazon, so I told DH to go ahead and buy Amazon Prime to try. So, we did get free shipping on a 6lb item today. But we rarely buy anything online. Maybe a couple/few per year. I'm disappointed that the Kindle reading library is only one book per month and only on Kindle devices (or so it seems). Looks like DD will get 12 books, I guess. We have Netflix streaming, and I'm not finding anything on Amazon prime that isn't on Netflix. So, did I just spend $79 to my daughter can borrow 12 books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Amazon does have Little Bill, Mr. Rogers, Wild Thornberrys, Oswald, and a few other kids shows that Netflix doesn't, if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 You may find you do start buying online more frequently now. I know that if I'm in no rush for something, and the price is comparable to a brick and mortar store, I'll just buy it on amazon and avoid the hassle of going out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I use Prime and feel it has paid for itself over and over because we do buy online frequently. As a homeschool family we order a lot of books for one thing, but Amazon has so many things. It isn't just about books anymore. I rarely use the video part of Prime, but feel that Prime is worth it to us. Whenever I need to purchase things I go to Amazon and search there first. And I always use the filter so that only Prime shipped items will come up in the results. Unless you decide to cancel, maybe you'll find things on Amazon that will save you money, time and the cost of gas to go shopping. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Worth every penny. Check out the grocery section. I order quite a bit from there, even my laundry supplies. It is cheaper than the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Can't you cancel if you hate it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I use prime alot, so I don't consider it a waste. I also use it for things I didn't do before. e.g. buying gifts for friends and relations who live in other states - I used to ship things myself. Now, I buy prime and ship it to them without having to do anything myself. (I hate shipping.) I no longer have to wait until I have a $25 order to order - so even if there is one thing I want that's $5, I just order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I bought Prime last year, and forgot to cancel the trial... then found out about the Mom's club, joined and they REFUNDED the remainder of the year!!! I buy diapers, toys, books, and tons of things that I can't go get, including vitamins, some groceries, and it tells me at the top of each page I look at ( item) if it will extend my Prime... many items do that are not baby related. They give me 1 extra month of Prime for each eligible purchase! It is helping me so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalmom Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 There are also a lot of books that you can borrow from a kindle library. You can borrow one per month. I haven't figured out how to search specifically for what's in their lending library, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Prime is hit and miss for me. I LOVE having it but I have never had to pay for it. Between Amazon Mom (1 years benefit) and Amazon Student (6mths) I haven't paid for it. Recently, though it seems like the prices haven't been that great on the things I wanted to buy. We live in a largish city Vancouver, WA next to Portland, OR so I am used to having a large selection of stores to choose from anyways. If I was in a more rural area, I would love prime just for the fuel savings on having to run to the store for misc. items. Around Christmas, it saves me a lot of money. Being able to read reviews and order items, without the cost of fuel and reducing the impulse buys, really helps to cut costs. I also use it to ship any gifts I need to mail, and just let the person know that it is not gift wrapped inside the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 I tried the Club Mom but I never bought enough to extend the membership, or what I needed didn't qualify to extend the membership. I tried the Subscribe and Save for diapers and I was always ending up with way too many to store or running out and having to run to the store to get some last minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I love amazon prime. Now that I have it, I use amazon a lot more than I did before I had prime. I use it for books, groceries, vitamins, and more. It was great in December to do my Christmas shopping. However, if you can't see yourself using it, you might have been better off to just order your item today w/o getting prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I tried the Club Mom but I never bought enough to extend the membership, or what I needed didn't qualify to extend the membership. I tried the Subscribe and Save for diapers and I was always ending up with way too many to store or running out and having to run to the store to get some last minute. I like Subscribe and Save, but you do have to monitor how much you need and adjust your order accordingly. I usually set my order out as far as I can, and then adjust it to order only when I actually need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I found it to be useless. Fortunately, I only did the free trial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Gosh, it is worth every cent to me! I absolutely love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We use it all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I love Prime. If I can buy an item online for a good price and have it arrive free and quickly instead of dragging my two little children to *one more store*, I am all over that. We buy all kinds of things from Amazon--garage shelves, food items, games and toys, art supplies, toiletries, clothing, car seats, etc. You can also "rent" streaming videos for a week for reasonably good prices--things you want to see once or twice, but don't necessarily want to keep. For instance, I rented a couple of Aligned and Well biomechanics videos, watched them and got comfortable with the exercises, and thus paid $1.99 instead of $14.99 to learn what I needed to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We mostly use Amazon as like a 'pay per view'. We usually rent one movie a week for movie nights so it's been worth it to us. We've also rented a few tv series/episodes, and I order from them a few times a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 (edited) How do you rent videos? Found it. Edited March 11, 2012 by joannqn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 How do you rent videos? Found it. There should be an option to rent for a period of time on a lot of the Instant Video selections. But it looks like this is not just for Prime subscribers; anyone can rent videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 You may find you do start buying online more frequently now. I know that if I'm in no rush for something, and the price is comparable to a brick and mortar store, I'll just buy it on amazon and avoid the hassle of going out. I find myself in the same position. It's often easier to buy something online and have it on my doorstep in 2 days, rather than loading the family up to drive to the store and buy it. If you buy in bulk their prices are comparable (and often better) than Costco. Take a look at some of the pantry items you buy fairly regularly and price them with the subscribe and save feature on Amazon. I also love knowing that if I can't find a book we need for the Kindle I can usually buy it with their 4 for 3 promotion and have it within 2 days. I love that I can buy a book last minute and receive it before we're done studying a subject. Around Christmas I found that a lot of the items I wanted to buy were a few dollars cheaper and I saved myself the hassle of dealing with holiday traffic. I guess it's more of a convenience thing, but once you start getting most things delivered to your door it's hard to stop ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Can't you cancel if you hate it? I think they have a 30 day guarantee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisperry Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I can't imagine not having Prime.... Most often, I'm using Amazon's 4-for-3 books promotion + Prime. Our nearest good library is 45 minutes away. Not exactly chump change in gas for our van. I'm looking at at least $16ish in gas. My son needed books on wolves so I found 4 books that qualified and spent $18 (the price of 3). That included the shipping and we got to keep the 4 books. Better deal imo. I also buy Sonlight's books all year long this way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I just canceled our Amazon Prime free trial before they started charging for it. In the 28 days we had it, the only thing we used it for was to watch four streaming episodes of Inspector Lewis that weren't available on Netflix streaming. I spent a half an hour or so comparing what's on Amazon Prime streaming with Netflix, and found nothing else we'd watch that was available on Amazon and not on Netflix. And Netflix streaming has 10 or 20 things we'd watch for every one that's available for free streaming on Amazon Prime. I also did a quick comparison of about 20 grocery item prices on Amazon Prime versus our local Costco, and found that Costco was cheaper in all but one case, often noticeably cheaper. In that one case, Amazon was cheaper by about 1%. Since we're going to make periodic Costco runs anyway, I can't justify $79/year for Amazon Prime. As for free two-day shipping, that turns out to be of little value to us. Ordering something non-Prime with free Super Saver shipping is usually noticeably cheaper than the Prime option. We don't have any problems getting to the $25 minimum, and we're never in that much of a hurry. We usually get Super Saver items in four or five business days anyway. And the free e-book thing is clumsy to use. My wife found one the other day that was $0.00 with Prime or $2.99 otherwise. I found that I couldn't get the book from the Amazon web page. Instead, I'd have had to turn on her Kindle, search for the book on it (which is clumsy), and download it directly to the Kindle. I ended up just paying the $2.99 for the book she wanted. I'm sure Prime is a good deal for a lot of people, but for us that $79/year buys almost nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 And it's only good on books bought new from Amazon, not on the used books, am I right? Just received a trial, but don't want to spend more on books since I usually buy used. And I'm not seeing the Kindle or video options as beneficial to us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I love Amazon Prime. I purchase a ton of things, usually at reduced prices. In the last 4 weeks I have bought: Explode the Code, 4 pair Teva sandals for the kids, 2 pair Teva flip flops for me, 2 bras, Charlie's Soap, aquarium filters, pull-ups, Spelling Workout, a pair of Keds for my 5 yo, a bible, a heating pad, a water filter for the fridge, an accessory for my camera and a Webkinz dog. If I need anything, I look to Amazon first, then other places. I shop online for about 80% of my purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 And it's only good on books bought new from Amazon, not on the used books, am I right? Yes, you have it right. Free shipping is only from products originating from an Amazon warehouse, so generally that's new books and items only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Education Explorers Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 When my husband first got Prime, I thought it was a rip-off. How often were we going to use it, anyway? I could not have been more wrong. We use it ALL the time. How does one Christmas shop when they homeschool??? Amazon Prime! The Lightning Deals alone paid for Prime. Then there is the last minute shopping for relatives, birthdays etc. Use Prime and ship it to them for free! Since we are new to homeschooling, my lessons do not get planned very far in advance. I start to figure out what we are going to learn in history. Look it up at our local library and they usually don't have it or I am on the waiting list. Buy it with Prime and it is here in two days. By the time I get an email from our library that the book is available, we are three units beyond that original topic. It more than pays for itself in the convenience and ease of purchase as well as returns. This reminds me that I should go thank my husband for signing us up against my grumbling complaints. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 So, did I just spend $79 to my daughter can borrow 12 books? There's a free trial period - can't you cancel within a month and not be charged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iucounu Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 After we first bought Amazon Prime, we gradually started buying more and more things from Amazon than elsewhere, until we do a lot of shopping there. The price is usually comparable to what you'd find elsewhere, and sometimes the best, especially when you factor in shipping. I like Prime for these reasons, many of which might not apply to you: * Next-day shipping for four dollars is a very good price, and occasionally useful. * Two-day shipping for free (or rather the spread-out cost of Prime) is very nice compared to shipping options from other sites, and the items occasionally arrive the next day. * No need to wait and combine items into $25 orders or more; I can buy what I like when I want it. This includes lots of little stuff, as a PP mentioned. * I prefer to buy from Amazon where possible due to their return and refund policies. If something's defective, they cross-ship, and I've never had any hassle with authorization for a return. I don't use any of the other services. If I didn't buy enough through Amazon to make the Prime worthwhile, we wouldn't have it; I'd probably just combine orders to go over $25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 When my husband first got Prime, I thought it was a rip-off. How often were we going to use it, anyway? I could not have been more wrong. We use it ALL the time. How does one Christmas shop when they homeschool??? Amazon Prime! :iagree::iagree: and :iagree: Those who don't use it must really like driving and shopping a lot more than I do! Hit the mall once or twice during a typical Michigan wet Christmas, and you'll gladly fork over the $79. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 You can get great deals on birthday and holiday presents using Amazon Prime. I got it as a "trial" two years ago (planned to cancel) but I LOVE it! Seriously, give it a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I like Prime for these reasons, many of which might not apply to you: * Next-day shipping for four dollars is a very good price, and occasionally useful. * Two-day shipping for free (or rather the spread-out cost of Prime) is very nice compared to shipping options from other sites, and the items occasionally arrive the next day. * No need to wait and combine items into $25 orders or more; I can buy what I like when I want it. This includes lots of little stuff, as a PP mentioned. * I prefer to buy from Amazon where possible due to their return and refund policies. If something's defective, they cross-ship, and I've never had any hassle with authorization for a return. I don't use any of the other services. If I didn't buy enough through Amazon to make the Prime worthwhile, we wouldn't have it; I'd probably just combine orders to go over $25. I don't use their other services either (I do think I've borrowed two kindle books so far--but they aren't getting read :tongue_smilie:). I have once or twice placed an order for a single item, paid the $3.99 for next day shipping and immediately ordered something else that I was not in a hurry for, and they just tossed it all in the same box and I got it all overnight! That was a nice unexpected surprise. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iucounu Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 And it's only good on books bought new from Amazon, not on the used books, am I right?No, that's not right. Some used books do feature Prime shipping, and the number seems to be growing although still well in the minority. The prices with and without Prime shipping generally come in around the same ballpark, and the shipping for most cheap used books tends to be $3.99 so you see a lot of $4ish combined totals for the cheap stuff.I have once or twice placed an order for a single item, paid the $3.99 for next day shipping and immediately ordered something else that I was not in a hurry for, and they just tossed it all in the same box and I got it all overnight! That was a nice unexpected surprise. :001_smile:Good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iucounu Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We were looking for a model for our son and couldn't find anything locally. We ended up having to go to Amazon, so I told DH to go ahead and buy Amazon Prime to try. So, we did get free shipping on a 6lb item today. I think it's adorable when parents help their children out with meeting people and dating. But you should get that girl a hamburger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 :iagree: And it's only good on books bought new from Amazon, not on the used books, am I right? Just received a trial, but don't want to spend more on books since I usually buy used. And I'm not seeing the Kindle or video options as beneficial to us... No, that's not right. Some used books do feature Prime shipping, and the number seems to be growing although still well in the minority. The prices with and without Prime shipping generally come in around the same ballpark, and the shipping for most cheap used books tends to be $3.99 so you see a lot of $4ish combined totals for the cheap stuff.Good to know. Amazon is warehousing many used books now. You may have to look at the "used" copies to see them all. I miss prime because I'm specifically missing a lot of used books. When you order from amazon you get their shipping, not some iffy 3rd party shipping. Plus the 3.99 shipping per book is eliminated with Prime. At this point most of our school materials come from amazon, so I'm always looking at used deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 No, that's not right. Some used books do feature Prime shipping, and the number seems to be growing although still well in the minority. The prices with and without Prime shipping generally come in around the same ballpark, and the shipping for most cheap used books tends to be $3.99 so you see a lot of $4ish combined totals for the cheap stuff. Yep, I just recently gave up the "hold fight" on a particular history book at the library (the entire system has one single copy, and, believe it or not, apparently someone else in the St. Louis metro area is using the same history program we are ... so we kept swapping back and forth that book with holds placed on various family library cards) and got a used copy for about $5 including my free prime shipping. Plus, of course, the item got here 2 days after I ordered it, which meant dd could proceed with her homework. That's the 2nd used book I've gotten this month for free shipping. The other one was also for dd's history -- she'd hoped to be able to use websites to study the Vikings, but many of the links were dead, so I ordered a used copy of an Usborne book, and, voila, 2 days later she could forge ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I've ordered items that cost me as little as $1.95 with no additional shipping charge and got them the next day or two. THAT is awesome! No, it's scary. We are buying into our own demise! Aaaaaaaagh (swallowed up by quicksand) I am kind of tired of the UPS guy and the mailman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I think it's adorable when parents help their children out with meeting people and dating. But you should get that girl a hamburger. :lol::lol: I'm reading with interest. I'm getting ready to push *click* for the free trial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 :lol::lol: I'm reading with interest. I'm getting ready to push *click* for the free trial. Do a search for amazon mom free prime. I explained it in a post recently. Unless you want to watch a lot of movies with it, get the free amazon mom prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Ok, I'll give it a try. I'm skeptical because we simply don't buy much, but I'll compare prices and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Worth every penny. Check out the grocery section. I order quite a bit from there, even my laundry supplies. It is cheaper than the store. Laundry detergent, dryer sheets, vacuum cleaner bags and filters, weights, other exercise equipment, toys, games, and, of course, books! All delivered to my home in 2 to 3 days, but I live out in the middle of nowhere, so a trip to town is expensive. And it's great for sending gifts to friends and family who live far away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 For us it pays for itself with the first order each year. I'm too far into the sticks to shop effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Do a search for amazon mom free prime. I explained it in a post recently. Unless you want to watch a lot of movies with it, get the free amazon mom prime. My youngest is 6. No diapers/formula/baby food here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) Since my folks and siblings live in California, I use it to send them gifts for Christmas and b'days w/o having to pack and ship (and pay shipping!) myself. That alone is worth it to me. But of course I also use it for a lot of other stuff - the past few months I have gotten free shipping (and good prices) on 12 and 10 and 5 lb weights for my barbells, a weight bench, a step platform (can you tell someone here is strength training! ;) ), also a pill-filler and 1000 empty capsules for same, 10 lbs of protein powder, dental chews for the dog (same as the vet sells...only cheaper!), a donut cushion (hurt my tailbone :glare: ), a flatware organizer for the silverware drawer in the kitchen, a stop watch and resistance bands, a case of Annie's mac and cheese, a barbell set (40 lbs), and sent to CollegeMan in his dorm were two textbooks cheaper than his campus bookstore, an electric kettle,a case of Indian heat n' eat food, and a huge bag of Swedish Fish, PLUS we have gotten several wii and Kinect games, myriad books and DVDs...this in just the past three months. Stuff that would have been bought anyway, but it was easier and cheaper to have Amazon sent it lickety-split. In the past I have gotten an iron dutch oven, a digital camera, make-up brushes for the girls....I think Amazon is serving for us now as the Sears Catalog and freight shipping by rail was for folks a hundred years ago. Oh, and hubby gets a lot of his beer-brewing supplies shipped via Prime cheaper than he can get them at the local home brew shop. SillyAutismMan has been watching the free Prime movies, too. Edited March 12, 2012 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Ok, I'll give it a try. I'm skeptical because we simply don't buy much, but I'll compare prices and see what happens. Start looking. You will find reasons to use it more now that you have prime. I was hesitant for a looong time to get prime. Now I fear that I can never go back :lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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